It's no secret in Colorado that craft beer is huge, but throughout the country, it's getting even bigger. A record 350 microbreweries are set to open in the U.S. this year. In August, Merriam Webster added a "craft beer" definition to the latest edition of its Collegiate Dictionary. And though overall domestic beer sales have been flat in recent years, craft beer saw a 12 percent increase in the first half of 2012, according to the Boulder-based Brewers Association.

Another sign? Tickets to the 2012 Great American Beer Festival — the Brewers Association's annual celebration of suds — sold out in a mere 45 minutes. In 2011, it took a week.

What's a beer geek to do? You can turn to scalpers or craigslist for GABF tickets — or you can host your own miniature version of the festival. Invite some friends over, make a stop at your local liquor store and follow our suggestions for a successful home beer tasting.

The GABF judges beers in 84 categories. With Brewers Association director Paul Gatza's help, we narrowed things down a bit — to four basic categories, plus an "out of the box" selection that reflects the creativity found at the GABF. We asked beer buyers at three area liquor stores — Brandon Knapp at Applejack Wine and Spirits in Wheat Ridge, Dan Chacon at Argonaut Liquor on East Colfax Avenue and Clayton Myers of Little's Fine Wine and Spirits in south Denver — for their recommendations in each category.

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Wheat beers

Knapp likes Breckenridge Brewery's Agave Wheat. It's the only beer he knows of made with agave nectar, which he says gives the beer a nice round finish. ($8.99 for a six-pack)

Chacon chose the hefeweizen — an unfiltered wheat beer with banana and clove notes — from Dry Dock Brewing in Aurora. He calls the beer, which took gold in its category at last year's GABF, an American spin on a classic European style. ($5.49 for a 22-ounce bomber)

Myers' pick is the Kellerweis from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in California. The American-style wheat is deliciously unfiltered, he says: "They want you swirling that yeast into the glass like you're supposed to." ($8.69 for a six-pack)

Pilsner

Knapp and Chacon both like Polestar Pilsner, from Longmont-based Left Hand Brewing. The American hops, Knapp says, make for a lighter beer that's less skunky than your typical European pils. ($8.49-$8.99 for a six-pack)

Myers says the Pils from California's Lagunitas Brewing Co. is a classic of the style. "It is hoppy," he warns, "because that's what Lagunitas does." ($10.49 for a six-pack)

Knapp recommends Black Butte Porter, made by Deschutes Brewery in Oregon. He describes the beer — a GABF bronze medalist in 2009 — as "real roasty and chocolate-y, with no dark-coffee bitterness." ($7.99 for a six-pack)

Chacon prefers the Steel Toe Stout, from Ska Brewing Co. in Durango. It's a milk stout, meaning it's made with lactose sugar, but it's not too sweet, with a nice roasted-malt finish. And it took gold in its category at the 2011 GABF. ($9.49 for a six-pack)

IPAs can range from mildly hoppy to extremely hoppy, Knapp says. Striking just the right balance is Stone IPA, from Stone Brewing Co. in California. ($9.99 for a six-pack)

Chacon likes Racer 5 IPA from Bear Republic Brewing Co. in California. "It's got a lot of hop character, but it's not overly bitter," he says of the beer, which captured GABF gold in 2009. "It's floral and slightly citrusy; a well-balanced beer that's the best of both worlds." ($10.99 for a six-pack)

Myers gives the pale ale from Santa Fe Brewing Co. props for being featured on AMC's popular "Breaking Bad" ($7.99 for a six-pack), but he also likes the brand new Mountain Livin' Pale Ale from Crazy Mountain Brewing Co. in Edwards. "They won't tell you what kind of hops they use," he says, "but they give the beer this incredible tropical fruit profile, with notes of pineapple and mango." ($8.99 for a six-pack)

Knapp likes sour ales: "They're underground, but they're gathering a following," he says. "Not as many beer drinkers know about them." He recommends Oud Floris, a barrel-aged sour brown ale made by Avery Brewing Co. in Boulder. ($11.99 for a bomber)

Chacon is a fan of the experimental beers from Dogfish Head microbrewery in Delaware. Currently he carries the brewery's Palo Santo Marron, a silver-medalist in the specialty beer category at the 2009 GABF. The unfiltered brown ale is aged in wooden vessels made of Paraguayan Palo Santo wood. ($16.49 for a four-pack)

After much deliberation, Myers chooses Saison Brett from Boulevard Brewing Co. in Kansas City. A sister beer to the brewery's popular Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, the Belgian-style ale — a gold-medalist in the French- and Belgian-Style Saison category at the 2011 GABF — is bottle-conditioned in part with Brettanomyces, a wild yeast strain that gives the brew a musty, earthy quality. "It tastes like a traditional saison," Myers says, "which most American breweries really aren't that good at." ($12.99 for a bomber)

Tasting tips: Get the most out of your at-home beer fest

Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association, offers these tips for a home tasting:

Before the tasting, look up information on different beer styles on sites such as beeradvocate.com. True beer nerds can download a PDF of the GABF's official style descriptions at greatamericanbeerfestival.com Gatza also recommends visiting brewery websites to get detailed information — including ABV — on the beers you'll be tasting.

Go to a homebrew store like the Brew Hut or Stomp Them Grapes and get some malt and hops to put on the table so guests get a real sense of what goes into making beer.

Pour 1- to 2-ounce samples of each beer. Try to have at least two selections in each style so participants can taste the variety that exists within any given style.

Pour beers in order of light to dark.

Provide some food: bread or crackers for palate cleansing, and some other mild food — pretzels, popcorn or mild cheese — to absorb alcohol.

Pour the contents of your bottle or bottles into a pitcher for pouring. This preserves carbonization and makes sure all the yeast gets into the beer and not stuck in the bottom of a bottle.

Provide a pitcher of water to rinse glasses — and palates — between pours.

When tasting the beer, use all your senses. What does the beer look like? What color is it? How much foam?

What does it smell like? Gatza suggests using Belgian-style "tulip" glasses, which trap aromas. "Get your nose right into it," he says.

Pay attention to the mouthfeel: How does it feel on your tongue? Is it heavy, light or medium-bodied?

For the most important aspect, taste, Gatza suggests paying attention to how the beer tastes on different areas of your tongue: sweet, bitter, salty, sour. Each beer will emphasize different elements.

Discuss each beer before moving on to the next.

Most important, practice responsible drinking. Make sure no one is driving immediately after the tasting.

— Greg Glasgow

More suds-related fun

Yes, the Great American Beer Festival is sold out, but there's still plenty of beery fun to be had in the week before the fest.

Below is a select list of beer-themed events; visit denver.org/denverbeerfest for more. Lots of beer talk and special brews also will be flowing at the tasting rooms of local breweries; check craftbeer.com's Brewery Locator to find one in your neighborhood.

Monday

GABF Kick-off Party

5 p.m., Falling Rock Taphouse, 1919 Blake St.

The festival's unofficial headquarters kicks off GABF week by tapping the 10 special beers it has been saving for the big event. Visit the taphouse's website for a full list of its beer week events. (Free; fallingrocktaphouse.com)

Tuesday

Beers Made by Walking

5-9 p.m., Wynkoop Brewing Co., 1634 18th St.

Denver's first brewpub gets in on the GABF action with a selection of Colorado beers created in conjunction with Beers Made By Walking, a program started by Colorado Springs art professor Eric Steen that invites brewers to make beer inspired by nature hikes and urban walks. Edible and medicinal plants gathered along the trek make their way into a one-off beer created in honor of the occasion. Attendees get 3-ounce samples of special beers from Crooked Stave, Lone Tree Brewing, New Belgium, Oskar Blues, Phantom Canyon, Pikes Peak Brewing, Ska Brewing, Strange Brewing, Trinity and Wynkoop. ($15; wynkoop.com)

Elevated Wood Bomber Release

1-11 p.m., Renegade Brewing Co., 925 W. Ninth Ave.

Denver's Renegade Brewery celebrates the release of its new bourbon barrel-aged IPA with a taproom release party featuring other Renegade exclusives — including a special small-batch available Tuesday only. (Free; renegadebrewing.com)

Women Enjoying Beer

7 p.m., The Cheeky Monk, 534 E. Colfax Ave.

Are you a woman who enjoys beer? Then this Belgian beer-tasting event, hosted by Women Enjoying Beer (womenenjoyingbeer.com) founder Ginger Johnson, is for you. ($25 per person; thecheekymonk.com)

Wednesday

"The Lion, The Bear & The Brewmaster," with Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

6:30-9:30 p.m., Mile High Station, 2027 W. Lower Colfax Ave.

California's Firestone Walker Brewing Co. teams up with "Top Chef" winner Hosea Rosenberg for a vertical tasting of barrel-aged anniversary ales from the Firestone Walker library, accompanied by a menu of small plates. Brewery proprietors Adam Firestone and David Walker and brewmaster Matt Brynildson will speak about the beers and the brewery. The evening also includes an exclusive unveiling of Firestone Walker's newest anniversary bottling. ($75 per person; firestonebeer.com)

Colorado Rare Beer Tasting

6-9 p.m., Rackhouse Pub, 208 S. Kalamath St.

Well-known local breweries including as Dry Dock, Funkwerks, Great Divide, New Belgium, Odell's and Ska pour some of their most prized brews. ($35; rackhousepub.com)

Wednesday-Thursday

Oskar Blues Brewery GABF Bus Tour

8 a.m., starts at the Falling Rock Taphouse in LoDo

For two days prior to the GABF, Longmont-based Oskar Blues Brewery will shuttle visitors from the Falling Rock to its original brewpub in Lyons, then to its Hops & Heifers Farm in Longmont. Beers and lunch follow at Home Made Liquids & Solids, Oskar Blues' beer bar in Longmont, and the day winds up with a brewery tour. ($60 per person, brownpapertickets.com/event/266144)

Hops supplier Hopunion, Brewing News Publications and Three Floyds Brewing Co. team up to find the best hoppy beers in the land. A team of brewers and veteran beer writers will test more than 100 highly hopped ales to find the new Alpha King. (Free; hopunion.com)

Pucker Up Poker Run

11 a.m., starts at Falling Rock Taphouse

Take a journey into the world of sour beers with a pub crawl that takes participants to the Falling Rock, Lucky Pie Pizza & Tap House, Highland Tap and Burger, Euclid Hall and Star Bar. At each stop, crawlers get a 4-ounce pour of a rare, barrel-aged sour beer from Avery Brewing in Boulder, a 6-ounce pour of a palate-cleansing beer from Avery, and a playing card. Best poker hand at the end wins a prize. ($45; ticketalternative.com /events/20628.aspx)

Colorado Beer Brunch

9:30-11:30 a.m., Freshcraft, 1530 Blake St.

A benefit for the Colorado Brewers Guild, this inaugural brunch features beers from Great Divide, Upslope, Left Hand, Dry Dock and the Denver Beer Co., plus food items such as pork belly doughnuts and breakfast corndogs. ($30-$35; brownpapertickets.com/event/274033)

Oct. 13

Lagunitas Celebration

4:20 p.m., Freshcraft

The crew from California's Lagunitas Brewing Co. will be on hand to pour their new Undercover Investigation Shutdown Ale, plus their Hop Stoopid Ale and Fusion #10. Check out Freshcraft's website for a full list of its beerfest events. (Free; freshcraft.com)